Well, invalidate this. Brazilian Blowout has now been sued by the California attorney general’s office. The No More Dirty Looks blog has a copy of the entire complaint, which says that Brazilian Blowout’s hair-straightening products do contain high levels of formaldehyde — and that the company knowingly and falsely marketed its products as formaldehyde-free with “no harsh chemicals.”

Formaldehyde is listed as a known carcinogen in California, and products containing the chemical have to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” — something Brazilian Blowout didn’t do and clearly lied about, thereby also running afoul of California’s deceptive advertising law, according to the lawsuit.

And if you or someone you know has experienced ill health effects after getting a Brazilian Blowout treatment, the environmental health orgs want to hear from you. E-mail jamies@womensvoices.org or mia@safecosmetics.org to get organized.